EDITORIAL Yes or no to Robredo as a Duterte Cabinet member?

MANY citizens, impressed by the virtues they see in incoming Vice-President Leni Robredo, want to see her appointed to a Cabinet position when President-elect Rody Duterte takes office.

Among these is our columnist Marlen Ronquillo, who writes:

“Ms. Robredo should be in the government as an active executive official, not a spare tire … a specific executive office for Ms. Robredo carries a thousand pros for The Digong and almost zero cons.

“Ms. Robredo and Mr. Duterte agree 100 percent on who shall get the most attention from government. Mr. Duterte speaks of ‘the poor’ and the unprotected. Ms. Robredo phrases it differently—‘yung nasa laylayan (those on life’s margins). They are referring to the same sectors, my neighbors, myself, the kind of people referred to in The Sermon on the Mount.”

Mr. Ronquillo continues: “And they both see that there is a need for the heavy lifting from the state to accomplish that, not the hypocritical talk of ‘inclusive growth’ from the Aquino-Roxas Bros. A solid consensus on the thrusts of fundamental policies is probably the most ideal term of engagement between the President and his Cabinet. Mr. Duterte and Ms. Robredo share that consensus.” Mr. Ronquillo and many of our fellow Filipinos admire Mrs. Robredo for taking bus rides with her children from Bicol to Manila and back, just like ordinary and common citizens.

Kadamay says ‘No’ to Robredo in NAPC
But that is not how the urban-poor group Kadamay sees it. In a statement, it “slammed” the recommendation of National Economic Development Authority chief Ernesto Pernia for Ms. Robredo to convene the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC).

Kadamay, however, lauds Mr. Duterte’s statement promising to entrust the National Anti-Poverty Commission “to a woman from the Left.”

Kadamay, making light of Ms. Robredo’s “signature bus travels and Jessie Robredo-influenced tsinelas,” said that compared to left-leaning women mentioned as possible appointees to chair the NAPC, Ms. Robredo can show nothing to prove her track record and sincerity in addressing our country’s massive poverty situation.

The pro-poor civil society group also said that Ms. Robredo, together with outgoing DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman, still has to prove herself innocent of having used 4Ps funds supplied by the PNoy administration to boost her campaign for the vice-presidency. [4Ps refers to the aid-to-the-poor “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program”].

“How can we trust Leni to address poverty in the country when she has been known to have used poverty-alleviation funds to advance her political agenda. Despite so many complaints from 4Ps beneficiaries of her electioneering, have we heard any apology from Leni’s camp? “ asks Gloria Arellano, Kadamay national chair.

Kadamay, meanwhile, has a pending complaint at the Comelec against Mr. Roxas and Ms. Robredo for using 4Ps to haul beneficiaries to their campaign rallies.

“After joining the Liberal Party in the last election, Robredo quickly identified herself among the ‘yellow trapos,’ who have made use of poverty and the plight of the poor to advance their own political interests. The failure of their Daang Matuwid program over the last six years is a clear indicator not to entrust poverty alleviation to anyone from the LP camp,” said Arellano.

Kadamay fears that when appointed to head NAPC or any poverty-alleviation agency of the Duterte government, Leni Robredo might only continue the neo-liberal policies that are espoused by the Aquino administration and have proved to be extremely detrimental to the poor. These policies include the privatization of public services such as hospitals and housing, the deregulation of public utilities, and many other profit-oriented policies.

Kadamay also foresees that Ms. Robredo would not endorse the implementation of genuine land reform and national industrialization as the fundamental components of any Philippine government’s poverty alleviation program.

Ms. Arellano asks further: “In her years, if not decades of public service, have we heard her speak about land reform and national industrialization? Never, she is just like any national leader who came from the clans of big landlords and big capitalists that rule the country—the Roxas and the Cojuangco-Aquino included.”

33 Comments

If it is true that BBM is ZERO VOTE in Basilan that INC members prevented by gunmen to vote then I agree that Ms Lenie Robredo can not be sitting as Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines until votes recount conducted and finished to all ballot boxes or ’till all suspected COC inspected. President elect Rodrigo Roa Duterte got enough vote to satisfy Filipino voters and I believed that his decision not to give Congresswoman Lenie Robredo a place in his cabinet is sound correct. Before Halalan2016 sabi ni MS Robredo that if they both win with Duterte she will immediately resign, why now desperate for a position in the cabinet of Pres. R. R. Duterte?

Leni should be set aside and not given any position by President elect Digong!…She needs to proved that she won the VP fair and square to earned respect of the people. Shame on her of pretending to be the real winner as VP while deep on her hearth knows that her group of yellow tards and her boss Panot do the cheating for her to win the VP…Ninakaw na ang pera ng taong bayan at ginamit sa pambili ng boto at pati ba naman karapatan ng tao sa pagboto at pagpili ng lider ay ninakaw niyo pa!…Talagang napakasakim ang grupong yan at nagaabang lang sa isang tabi para nakawin ulit ang kapangyarihan kay Digong!…

I agree with all the comments made. No cabinet position should be given to Madam Len, She is the trojan horse of the “kultong dilaw”. Perhaps, Pres. – Elect Digong has seen this through in his genius mind. Let us not further debate this proposition, very clear, the incoming President does not have any intention of giving her a position, cabinet or otherwise. He (Duterte) even rebuked his vp candidate, Cayetano, when he (Cayetano) made remarks earlier that the Pres – Elect is ready to give her (Leni) a cabinet position.

Kung si Mar Roxas na “Wharton graduate” palpak si Mrs. Robredo pa kaya? This ordinary housewife has no solid, tangible accomplishments compared to Duterte’s other appointees that will merit her a place in the cabinet. She will not be in that position if her husband did not die, which means like Cory and Boy Sayad, this widow’s only capital is DEATH! Shouldn’t the people be scared by now of opportunists like her whose godfather is the Grim Reaper? We only have to look at what happened to the country under Cory and BS to see what its going to be like again if the president is a child of the dark forces. Digong, impeach this woman!

I think M. Ronquillo is correct. Mr, DU30 is wrong not to appoint LR regardless of her party. She was voted by 14 million Filipinos!! I don’t believe at all that all the cabinet members of DU30 are righteous and without corruption. BS.

Agree , Mr pres if you appoint her , lagot ka nang yellow, BTW did she forgot what she said , if she win with du30 , she resign agad , Come ON mam do resign or you having selective amnisia as homo adaza say when Cory forgot her promise as well Re Batasan , well ad usual The yellow forgot again he he

The President is right! No appointments to Lenny Robredo until she can prove she won the election fair and square. This women still has cases to answer with the Comelec, the illegal solicitations to foreigners when she ran for Congress. We heard nothing of it since she prostituted herself as a candidate for the two yellow turds. This woman has no shame, she pretends to be for the poor when in fact she doesn’t care. She pretends to ride the bus to show she is a simple woman. Kunwari lang yan, Takot Lang Yan na mag crash ang air plane Gaya ng nangyari sa asawa nya. HIPOCRITA yang Babaeng Yan. Hele hele pa Kay panot na ayaw tumakbo ng VP. Noong na bigyan million, sabit agad, ma

I agree with you, Butch. The president-elect is a good judge of character. Lugaw Robredo is seen by many is an opportunist, a hypocrite, a woman with many faces, a widow who likes men, a cheat and a liar. You have to see what they are saying in social media about Lugaw Robredo.

No way for a charlatan chameleon.Lugaw Queen will always be in cahoots with the Yellow Gang plotting to oust Digong and install her as Prexy.How could we trust this benign Aswang when her win as VP is dubious….thru deceipt and massive cheating? And she pretend to be a pro-poor advocate, even riding on a bus complete with photo ops yet with bodyguard and the worst, that bus is owned by her family ? She will be always hounded by her greediness.

…and neither the left-leaning would-be head of NAPC (yet to be appointed by Duterte) has any proven tracked record of any poverty-alleviation programs. They are ideologues who only reads socialist books but never put into practice. All they do is yakaty-yak.

Is there NO ONE ELSE but Leni ? We are a nation of 104 million and Leni is just 0.0000000096 % of these 104 million. Why not choose from the remaining 99.99999994% ? Was she even really voted as VP ? Let us wait after July 1 when the tsunami of election protests will flood the courts. It is useless to lodge cases under this rotten admin so the protesters are just biding their time.